Sand-trap.



W. H. WHITE.

SAND TRAP.

APPLICATIONTILED FEB.29,1916. I I 1,201,126.. Patented 00t.1(),1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. H. WHITE.

SAND TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 29, 1916.

Patent-ed Oct. 10; 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 memes.

'WILLIKM jH. WHITE, OF ROA'NOKE, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO WHITE-AMERICAN LOCO- MOTIVE SANDER COMPANY, INC., 0]! ROANOKE, VIRGINIA, A CORPOBATION'OF VIRGINIA.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

SAND-TRAP.

Patented @ct. lo, rare.

Application filed February 29, 1916. serial No. 81,240.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. WHITE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Roanoke, in the county of Roanoke and State of Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sand-Traps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to improvements in sanding devices for locomotives, and particularly to: sand traps of the general type shown in my prior Patents No,

1,086,964, dated Feb. 10, 1914, No. 1,117,119, dated Nov. 10, 191i, No. 1,164,899, dated Dec. 21, 1915, and my prior application Serial No. 43,223, filed Aug. 2, 1915, allowed 0ct.'13, 1915.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel construction and arrangement'of means for delivering blasts of air within the sand supply and delivery pipes to keep the sand loose and free and to clear out the pipes when obstructed and prevent or reduce to a minimum the liability of the sand clinging to or clogging in the pipes owing to the presence of moisture or some other causes.

A. further object of the invention is to provide a novel construction of sand trap having an exterior .boss formed with a duct or channel connecting with an auxiliary blast pipe whereby air may besupplied in a reliable and efficient manner to the blast tubes within the supply and delivery pipes.

. The invention in the preferred form of details will be described in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 1s a fragmentary slde elevation of a locomotive showing the application of the invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the sand trap and connecting pipes. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section on the line 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view on the line 55 of Fig.2.

The trap, as stated, is of the general construction disclosed in my aforesaid prior patents and applications, and preferably comprises an L-shaped body 1 havmg an upright or inlet section 2 and a lateral or horizontal section 3. The section 2 connects with the lower end of a sand supply pipe 4 leading from the sand box 5, while the section 3 connects with a delivery orv sanding pipe 6 through which the sand is conducted to the track. The body 1 is interior-1y and lon itud nally cored to produce a sand channel? having horizontal and vertical branches, the vertical branch being directly connected W1th the supply pipe to receive the sand therefrom, and the horizontal branch being directly connected with the delivery pipe for the discharge of the sand in the sanding action to the track. Arranged at the point of intersection of the vertical and horizontal branches of the sarfd channel is a blast nozzle 8, through which a blast of air is supplied to discharge the sand through the horizontal branch of the channel and into the delivery pipe. This nozzle may be and preferably is of one of the forms disclosed in my prior patents or applications referred to, but

may be of any other suitable construction.

Formed in the trap body is an auxiliary channel 9 which has a vertical portion open-.

supply pipe 4 and vertical or receiving branch of the sand channel of all bodies or particles of sand tending to adhere to or clog the pipe or channel. The means disclosed for, this purpose consist of a blast tube 11 of comparatively small diameter extending upwardly through the bottom of the horizontal branch of the trap at one side of the delivery end of the blast nozzle and projecting upwardly through the vertical branch of the sand channel and into the supply pipe 4. This tube has a closed upper end which terminates below the point of connection of the supply ipe with the sand box, and at points throug out its length the said tube is formed with perforations or jet apertures 12 through which jets of compressed air are injected into the supply pipe and vertical branch of the channel. The tube 10 is similarly provided with air blast perforations 12, and it will beobserved that the erforations in each tube extend in a longltudinal series spirally about the tube and incline at an outward and forward angle in the direction of the line of feed of the trap and also the sand. By this construction and arrangement of the air blast perforations the jets of air will Whirl spirally within the portions of the conduit occupied by the tubes 10 and 11 and impinge against conduit and dislodge all particles of sand clinging thereto, thus preventing any undue accumulation of sand or choking up of the conduit, owing to the presence of moisture or other conditions, and thereby positively insuring the feed of sand to the track under any and all conditions of service.

The tubes 10 and 11 are preferably supplied with compressed air from a common source of supply which may have as its or1- gin the main air reservoir of the brake system on the locomotive. From the main air reservoir suitable pipes or conductors extend to the cab and thence to the sand trap, the delivery ends of the respective conductors 13 and 14, through which air is supplied to the blast nozzle 8 and blast tubes 10 and 12, being respectively connected to unions or coupling members 15 and 16, the union 15 detachably connecting the pipe 13 with the body of the blast nozzle 8, while the union 16 connects the pipe 14 with the vertical or receiving end of the channel 9. As shown, the said vertical or inlet end of the channel 9 is formed in a depending nipple 17 which is formed on and as part of a longitudinally extending boss or enlargement 18 upon the base of the horizontal branch of the sand trap. This boss or enlargement 18 gives greater strength and rigidity to the base of provides an extension for the formation of a longitudinally extending duct or passage 19 communicating at its forward end with the channel 9 and at its rear end with a threaded opening 20 into which the lower end of the tube 11 is tapped. lhis duct constitutes a means whereby air may flow from the connection 16 to the channel for delivery to both blast tubes, the blast conduit connect-ions to the tubes thus lying wholly within the body of the trap and obviating the use of pipes "and other exterior connections liable to be damaged or to work loose and leak, with obvious disadvantages.

It will be observed that the boss and duct extend at an angle to the sand channel 7, thus allowing connection to be made with the tube 11 at a point wholly at one side of the longitudinal center of said channel and with the tube 10 at a point directly in line with the center of the channel, by means of which the tubes may be arranged to supply the blasts of air for action in the most effective manner while not interfering with the free flow of the sand.

In the use of sanding devices of the character described, it is well known that there .is a tendency of the sand to clog the conductors, owingsometimes to the nature of the sand employed and at other times to the the surfaces of the pipe.

presence of moisture. Under all conditions the sand is liable to contain a greater or less percentage of moisture, and, owing tothis fact and in some cases to the binding tendency of the sand, it frequently happens that the pipes become clogged, either partially or completely thus preventing the sanding device from acting or impairing its eliiciency. In practice, the supply of air through the air conducting pipes 13 and 14 may be 'controlled by the engineer from the cab, said pipes being provided with suitable controlling valves for that purpose. When the valve in the pipe 13 is opened the sand,

-which feeds by gravity from the sand box into the sand trap, is discharged by the blast of air from the blast nozzle into the delivery If, however, the sand should bind in the apparatus, due to the presence of moisture or to the compact nature of the sand, the engineer by opening the valve in the pipe 1 1 will supply air to the blast tubes 10 and 11, which tubes will rcspctively blow out or clear the delivery and supply pipes.

It will be evident that by the use of blast devices in the supply and delivery pipes which are adapted to supply a whirling blast the surfaces of the trap will be kept clear andthe body of sand within the channel 7 agitated and kept loose. By perforating the tube 10 as described its efficiency is greatly increased, while by the provision of the boss 18 with its duct or channel 19 the construction of the trap is simplified and its cost of production reduced over a structure employing a pipe connection between the pipe 14: and tube 11, while the disadvantages arising from the use of outside piping or tubing are avoided.

I claim 1. A sand trap having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, a blast pipe extending from said horizontal portion upwardly into said vertical portion, said horizontal portion of the trap being provided with a longitudinal duct communicating at one end with said pipe, and a supply conductor communicating with the other end of said duct.

2. A sand trap having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, a blast nozzle projecting into said trap at the angle of intersection of said portions and substantially 3. A'sand trap having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, a blast nozzle projecting into said trap at the angle of intersection of said portions and substantially in parallel relation to the bore of the horizontal portion, a blast pipe projecting upwardly from the horizontal portion-at one side of the' center thereof into said vertical portion, sand supply and delivery pipes communicating respectively with the vertical and horizontal portions of the trap, said horizontal portion of the trap being provided with a longitudinal extending air duct communicating at one end with said blast pipe, a second blast pipe communicating with the opposite end of said air duct, and an air supply conductor communicating with the latter-named end of said air duct.

4. A sand trap having a horizontal blast channel and a vertical inlet communicating with the upper rear end of said channel, the horizontal portion of the trap being formed with a longitudinally extending duct, sand supply and delivery pipes respectively connected with the vertical inlet and the discharge end of the channel, a nozzle communicating with the rear end of the channel at the point of intersection of the inlet and channel, a blast pipe in communication with the rear end of the duct and extending upwardly through the inlet into the sand supply pipe, a blast pipe communicating with the forward end of the duct and extending into the delivery pipe, and an air supply pipe communicating with the duct.

5. A sand trap comprising a body having a horizontalv blast channel and a vertical feed passage communicating with the upper rear portion of said channel, said body being further provided in its base with a longitudinally extending duct having an air inlet and terminal portions at the opposite ends of the channel, and blast pipes having end portions respectively fitted into and communicating with the said terminal portions of the duct. I w

6.- A sand tra having a blast channel, a blast nozzle, a elivery pipe, an air supply source within the trap independent of said blast nozzle, and a blast pipe communicating with said source and extending into the delivery pipe and provided with spirally arranged blast apertures inclined in the direction of flow of the sand.

7. A sand trap having a blast channel provided with supply and delivery portions, a blast nozzle projecting into said channel, supply and delivery pipes, and blast pipes projecting respectively into saidsupply and delivery pipes, said nozzle being formed with an air supply duct independent of the channel and communicating with the blast' pipe projecting into the delivery pipe.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' WILLIAM H. WHITE. Witnesses:

D.W. PERSINGER, ARTHUR L. STRAS. 

